73 Tips on How to Live Simply

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.”  ~E.F. Schumacher

Do you want to start making changes so that you can lead a simpler life but do not know where to get started? Here are 100 Tips, Tricks, and Hacks on how to start living a simpler life.

1. Downgrade your iPhone, Android, Blackberry or whatever smart phone you have. Replace it with something that only has the ability to text and make phone calls and if you’re feeling up to it disable your voice mail. Is it really necessary to have a life line to your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and 5 email addresses where ever you go? Could you go without a cell phone? After years with these phones I am happily cell phone free. Read about how I broke my iPhone addiction.
2. Consolidate everything to one computer. If you have old ones lying around try to sell them or donate them.
3. Put everything you own online. I like having the mentality that if I threw my laptop out the window and never saw it again I could pick up a new one the next day and have all my files readily available. Google Docs for the office files. Flickr for the pictures. External hard drive for the music. Or, use Dropbox for everything. There are a million and one ways to store your stuff online, this is the combination I use and it works for me.
4. Get all of your icons off your desktop. All they are is digital clutter. Create a file stricture that works for you and stick to it.
5. Have your browser open to a blank window with no URL. If you want to search for something just type it into the URL box.
6. Cancel your cable service and use Hulu or Netflix On Demand.
7. Ask your self: Is the lifestyle you have supported by payments, maintenance, and attending your time to expectations of others? If the answer yes then pay off you’re debts, sell the things that require your time and don’t contribute to you’re happiness, and quit obligations that you don’t need.
8. Clear off you’re desk. Only have on it what you absolutely need on it to complete what you’re working on. Less distractions will mean better focus. Right now all I have is my laptop and tea in front of me.
9. Get a $20 used bike from Craigslist and use it to get groceries, go to the park, go to the gym, or go to work if its close. You’ll get more exercise and save money on gas.
10. Get rid of all the things you don’t use. Check out how to simplify your things by taking inventory.
11. Get a money clip and just carry around your license and debit/credit card(s). Do you really need to take that buy 10 get 1 free Sushi roll card everywhere you go?
12. Be cognizant of Parkinson’s Law and how it applies to your life. It states that “Work expands so as to fill time available to its completion.”  This can also be correlated with your space. The more space you have in your backpack, shelf, closet, trunk, drawer, room, house, or land the more likely you are to fill it with things. Just because you have empty space doesn’t mean you need to fill it. Just because you have 8 hours of time to work doesn’t mean it should take you that long.
13. Consolidate your banking accounts to the bare minimum. For most, this will be a checking account, Credit card, high Yielding savings account, and some sort of retirement account like a Roth IRA or 401k. I like to use one credit card for everything to rack up travel miles and pay it once a month.
14. Don’t be Fat. I know i’m being harsh, but seriously. If you are working towards a simpler life and you are overweight than eating more food that you need is a vestige of a life that errs on the side of materialistic excess. Check out How To Get Under 10% Body Fat… And Stay There.
15. Unplug from your earphones.  Spend some time enjoying your surrounds by being able to use all your senses. Use this time for reflection, thinking, and saying to people walk by.
16. Focus on one thing at a time. As I am writing this the only thing on my desktop is a blank text document on my laptop. No web browser, phone, email, or people. The only thing distracting me from writing these words are my own thoughts.
17. Bulk grocery shopping. I use to go to the grocery store 3-4 days a week and now go 1-2 times a month meat and odds and ends. Once a week i’ll get to the farmers market to get my produce.
18. Create a car maintenance schedule and add it to your calendar. Eventually I will get to the point where I don’t need a car but currently have one. I added the maintenance schedule to my Google calendar and set it up email me when I need it serviced for something other than an oil change as I do those my self.
19. DVD’s, CD’s, and Books – Oh my! It seems almost fashionable to have a book shelf of all the media you have but how much of it do you actually use? Get your Movies On Demand. Music from iTunes or Amazon. And for Books, save the ones you will reread or refer to. Consider a ebook reader. Or best yet, start using the library.
20. Add your number to the do not call list.
21. Resign from commitments that deter you from your goals.
22. Drink Yerba maté when you need to concentrate. The chemical composition of Yerba Mate has a unique blend of natural chemicals called xanthines. Unlike many other teas who simply stimulate the central nervous system Yerba Mate has a relaxing effect on smooth muscle and a stimulating effect for myocardial tissue. I find that it helps me focus for longer stretches of time.
23. Eat simply. Meats, Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds. Avoid drinks with calories.
24. Go comando. Its much more comfortable, less things to wash, and less things to own.
25. Know This: Reducing frills and luxaries in your present lifestyle will lead to an emphasis on the beauty and joy of living.
26. Ask your self: Do the things you own promote activity and self reliance or does it lead to passivity and dependence?
27. Purge your stuff. This is the first big step simplifying your life is to take control of your things rather then them take control of you. Start with three boxes. One for garbage, one to donate or sell, and one to keep. Use this method without mercy on every cabinet, drawer, closet, shelf, and trunk you have. After a few weeks go through and purge again.
28. Move to a smaller place. If you’ve gone through a huge purge and found yourself with extra space then a new place may bode will with your newly found minimalist tendencies and help stave off more clutter in the future.
29. Slow down. You don’t need to meditate to relax. Stand still in the shower for a few minutes. Concentrate on your breathing when doing the dishes or laundry. Spend a few minutes with your dog just brushing its coat. Act calm, collected, and mindful when ever possible. When we are tense we tend to hold our breath. Relax. Breath.
30. Spend less than you make. Don’t overcomplicated this, just be consistent with your plan. Try and get to the point where you can save half of your income.
31. Keep your weekends free.
32. Wake up early. Use this time for exercise. You will feel better all day.
33. Identify the things that complicate your life. Take a few minutes and write a list of the things that are unnecessary and distracting. Think about your nutrition, fitness, technology, people, finances, and work. Then identify what you want to accomplish in each of those categories. Now, only do the tasks that will help you accomplish your goals with each.
34. Buying new things. When something new comes in try to have it replace something or else you will just start the process of accumulation again.
35. On Drama. Every organization or community has drama and you will naturally come to know some. Just keep it to your self and remember that “Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; and simple minds discuss people.” Yes I advocate simple living but not simple thinking.
36. Focus on creating. Spend time creating everyday. Music, Writing, Poetry, Art, Graphic Design, Coding and other creative and artistic endeavors. Don’t just consume.
37. Go outside. Your lunchtime shouldn’t be spent at your desk. Eat outside. Walk. Run. Bike. Practice your art. Eat with friends. Do errands that you would have to do after work. Whatever it is just get away from the desk.
38. Unsubscribe. You are getting emails, RSS, newletters, mail, phone calls, and social media updates that act as bombardment of distractions through out the day. For the love of god control these thing as I bet they are controlling you.
39. On Frugality. Simplifying your life doesn’t necessarily mean to live frugally. The focus is to be outwardly simple so that you can be inwardly rich. I spend just as much money now then I did a year ago. Instead of it going to things it now goes to experiences.
40. Don’t take part in conspicuous spending. Instead, buy things that add happiness to your life rather than status symbols.
41. Know this: If the task at hand does not contribute to or enrich the things that are most important to you then it a impediment to your happiness and inner growth.
42. Empty your trash. Its weird but it feels good to have an empty trash right? Its like taking a shower and washing the  day off you. Just one of those quirky little things that feels good.
43. Weekly Media fasts. Have a day or two each week where you don’t check your email, Facebook, or phone. The purpose is two fold. First, to enjoy that day. Second, if you can’t spend a day without those things than its time to re-prioritize some things in your life.
44. Quote: “With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meager life than the poor. The ancient philosophers, Chinese, Hindoo, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer in outward riches, none so rich the inward.” Thoreau
45. Stop and chat. How often has someone started talking to you and you all you could think of is how to get out of the conversation? Yet you had nothing pressing to occupy your time with next. Let people talk and listen to them.
46. Create forward motion in your life. Don’t think it will just happen by itself. Seek out new job opportunities. Become a freelancer. Become something that you are interested in. Do it on the side and maybe you will succeed or maybe you wont. If you don’t, find something else and try again. It may take a few bumps till you get something that works. It doesn’t need to be what you’re passionate about, just something different. If you’re the type of person who has dozens of passions likely there a just dozens of superflous interests. Passion comes after mastery, not before.
47. On Toil. The masses of people toil and fritter their time to satisfy a lifestyle that is based on things. Do work that helps others while supports a lifestyle that is based on experiences and happyness.
48. Make the choice to live simply. Recognize that a radical change in what you value (experience rather things) can make a beneficial impact on your world view.
49. Bring your own lunch to work. Its healthier, cheaper, and saves time.
50. Explore the tiny house movement for inspiration.
51. Explore the 100 items or less movement.
52. You don’t have to be a monk, spiritual, or be in poverty to be dedicated to a simple life.
53. Know what you will do with your extra time. You’ve gone through and got rid of things and cleared your schedule, now what? Start looking at the things that are most important to you and pay rapt attention to them. For me, I want to be a better writer so I spend time in the morning and evening and just writing.
54. On Replying. Don’t. Every reply you send will likely mean another in return. Emails, Tweet, Text, Voicemails, and so on. These tools that make things simpler end up complicating communication by means of excess.
55. On Travel. One of the great benefits on being a minimalist and living simply is the ability to move easy and travel light. Last winter I spent 3 months in Washington and Tacoma snowboarding and working from home and now am getting ready for a year long bike tour through central and south america. If I had too many payments and things that required my attention this sort of living would only be a fantasy.
56. On Letting Go. Let go of materialistic attachments.
57. Web surfing. Once in the morning and once in the evening. This includes your RSS, Social Media, email, and just general fucking around. All the other time should be focusing on other things. You don’t need plugins, widgets, or programs to mange your time or block certain content, just have the will power to do it your self.
58. On Gratitude. If you are grateful for things you have you are likely to be content with less.
59. You will be happy when…. you have a house, car, boat, motorcycle, or a 1 week vacation. What will happen is you will get that shinny new thing and just want more. Instead, learn to love not having things.
60. Try new things. “The core of a mans spirit comes from new experiences” – Christopher McCandless aka Super Tramp.
61. Impressions. Focus on impressing people with who you are rather than what you own and adorn yourself with.
62. Your ‘favorite’ TV shows. If you insist using your precious time on television shows then try to get them On Demand through Hulu, Netflix, or iTunes. You will be able to watch them when you have free time instead of making an evening around it. You will also cut down on commericials.
63. Habits. Change one habit at a time. Want to loose weight? Instead of focusing on weight loss focus on getting fitter. Athleticism before Aesthetics. Spend  4 weeks just on the exercising. After you have established that in your routine start working on another habit. One step at a time.
64. Stop incoming letters. Just like limiting your email you should try to limit mail as well. Getting rid of it all together is best. This includes catalogs, bank statement, magazines, utililities, and so much more. Most of this stuff can be handled online and automated.
65. On Legacy. Other than your close friends and family, who will remember you? What have you contributed to making this a better place. Again, do work that helps others.
66. Its not about quality over quantity. Its about necesesity. Its no use buying something that is stylish and well built if you don’t need it. I have a $300 doller netbook that weighs 2 pounds. Yes, a Macbook would be nice but since the only thing I use the computer for is writing it is not necessary.
67. Hold hands when you walk with your partner.
68. Keep a notepad on the refrigerator. When you remember there is something you need to get from the grocery store or you are running low on something just add it to the list. When you’re ready to go to the store just tear it off and bring it with you.
69. On Solitude. Frequently just spend time to your self. This could be for an hour or a weekend. It will be a good time to reflect, clear the clutter in your mind, and focus on self development and where you should be focusing your energy.
70. Wardrobe. Stick to a style and stay with it. Go for more natural colors as it will be easier to match. You should impress people with who you are rather than what you’re wearing. Superfluous clothes begets superfluous tendencies.
71. Trouble with impulse buying? Use the 30 day rule. When ever you get the hankering to buy something that is not a necessity just hold off for a month. After a month it just may be something that is more than a passing impulse.
72. Explore Barefoot running. Its better for your running technique if you use the POSE running method.
73. Reading at length. Increasingly people are reading fewer books which is having a negative impact on our linear thinking. We are reading more and more short messages. Texts, blog posts, updates, and articles. We are accustomed to bouncing around from one fact or thought to another  This degrades our attention span and critical thinking, making it increasingly difficult to follow one piece of writing for an extended amount of time. After 2 pages you may start to fidget, check your phone, or start skimming. When you are ready to sit down for a book or long article turn of the internet, phone, and TV and just focus. Were you able to make it through this whole article without being distracted?